Chapter Seven: Dry Conditions

Harry spent the first hour on his new planet working hard to conjure water in the ridiculously large master bathroom. He was disappointed when Sal informed him that he wouldn't earn credits until his conjured water reached the planet, either by the overflow of the ship's water tank or when the waste tank was emptied. The AI had chosen to change careers from an administrative assistant on the Just Before Dawn to Planetary Overseer for their new, sparsely populated world; at the moment it was a simple job, he simply maintained the shields that deflected excess radiation, oversaw the expansion of the planetary satellite network, and monitored the four colonists. Harry found himself chatting with Sal as he worked, apparently the AI had copious amounts of free time at the moment. By the time Harry was ready for a break he had filled sixty percent of the Victory's water reserves. I'll conjure more later, for now I could use something to eat.

Leaving his room behind, Harry decided to explore the ship a little. As expected, the rooms in the back of the ship were all mostly empty, with only a few pieces of furniture, mostly shelves or dressers. Harry figured they'd end up as either bedrooms or dedicated greenhouses eventually. Curious, Harry spoke up. "Sal, what is the ship's battery at?"

"The Victory's battery was initially at five percent, charge is now at thirty-six percent."

Harry thought for a moment as he made his way through the hall towards the front of the ship, finding a lot of storage rooms and empty space. "Sethria?"

"Indeed."

Still feeling like exploring, Harry continued on. He'd already located the ship's fully-stocked automated infirmary, a collection of seeds for edible plants in a storage room, and the food storage. As promised, there were six months of preserved meals in a rather large freezer and six months of ration bars with perfectly-tailored nutrition for each of them. Feeling hungry, Harry had taken one of the human-tailored ration bars and was munching on it as he explored. The Dawn's crew had provided enough bars, each wrapped in a thin biodegradable film for freshness, to easily last Harry for six months, even considering the endless appetite of a growing boy. The bar wasn't bad, but wasn't excellent either; mostly it was dry, slightly crunchy, and bland. But after his relatives had denied him enough to eat for so long he wouldn't be complaining. Conjuring some water into a cup he'd taken with him, Harry drank deeply to wash down the meal. Taking a left turn, he eventually came to an empty room where the ship's cannons would have been on the original Victory. After checking with Sal to ensure water would drain properly, Harry took a seat against the wall and started conjuring water. He managed to create more water than the drains could easily handle, but getting wet didn't bother him. His shorts and shoes wouldn't be hurt by the water and even inside the Victory it was warm this close to the outer hull.

Instead of splitting his attention, this time he focused entirely on conjuring water and according to his interface he created a little more water per minute than earlier. Harry smiled when the Victory's tanks finished filling and Sal opened one of the ship's gunports slightly to allow the foot of standing water to drain out onto the surface. Standing and moving to a window, he saw that Sal hadn't been lying about the heat outside, the water that touched the rock instantly boiled into steam. When the water finished draining, Harry flicked a spell at himself and instantly dried himself by evaporating all of the water on his skin and clothes. Feeling the need for a break from conjuring, Harry moved on and eventually found the ship's folded sails; it turned out they were rather comfortable to rest on. Calling up a holographic keyboard, Harry typed out a message and sent it to his three fellow colonists. 'Does anyone have an idea what to name our world? Apparently the only rule is that the name needs to be unique in this galaxy.'

Deciding to send out a few more messages, Harry quickly composed a message to his godfather, letting him know he was now safely on a world that didn't yet have a name. Out of the four girls he'd been writing to, Harry chose to write to Hermione first and get to the others later. Katie, Fay, and Padma were nice, but they didn't seem as interesting as Hermione did with her endless wonder of magic and her thirst to learn everything she could. She'd been raised in the mundane world too, and that felt more important every time he had to explain something to Fay or Padma. Maybe later I'll ask if she wants to join me here? If she wasn't lying about how powerful she was she'll probably get assigned to a world like those of us on the Dawn if she doesn't pick one for herself.

After sending out his letters he made a query to his interface and discovered the local time was mid-afternoon of a day that lasted about twenty-five hours. Then he looked into the weather conditions which turned out to be extremely dry, hot during the day and cooler at night. Standing and continuing to explore what would be his home, potentially for the rest of his life, Harry was pleased by the amount of empty space. There were only two people living here for now, but that would change eventually. For the next few hours Harry was either conjuring water or exploring the ship when he needed a rest, until about seven pm local time when Sethria sent him a message commanding him to join her in the dining room. (Given the planet's longer day/night cycle, 'midnight' wasn't at 24:00, but 25:22 am. The longer days would take a little getting used to, but Harry wasn't worried.)

Managing to avoid getting lost on the way, Harry made good time and found his partner carrying two of the frozen meals to a table made out of a material that looked and felt like real wood (but was probably something else) that could seat twenty people easily. Sethria claimed the spicy fried noodle dish with some kind of red meat, leaving Harry with a bowl of hearty stew. Thanks to the devices built into the room's wall similar to a microwave, (they were actually a slightly more complicated device that removed the seal and preservation charm before it reheated the meals) their meals were soon ready and piping hot. There was a full kitchen in a room to the side of the dining room, but it wasn't like they had ingredients or the inclination to cook right now. Harry sat across from Sethria as they dug in. His meal was full of vegetables he'd never seen before and a dense meat that had obviously been cooked for a long time to ensure it was tender; he could tell by the smell that Sethria's meal was spicier than he'd be able to stomach but she was clearly enjoying it. Neither spoke during the meal, both watching the sunset through a west-facing window.

When they were finished and had placed their trays into a chute that led into the ship's waste tank and their silverware into a rather enormous dishwasher, Sethria made a noise in her throat to attract Harry's attention. "We're going to turn in early and get started tomorrow as soon as the sun comes up. I want to see the area around us, and we'll earn as many credits as we can. Tomorrow we'll start figuring out what we need to purchase first."

"Sounds good." When it was apparent she didn't intend to say anything else, Harry continued. "Have a good night Sethria, I'll see you in the morning."

With that, Harry headed for bed. Sethria was something of a puzzle, after yesterday's beat-down during their match he was worried that she would be cruel, but as he spent more time around her, he didn't think that was right. He shrugged. It isn't like I won't have plenty of time to get to know her, after all.

As he woke to the sound of his alarm and the rising sun blazing through his window Harry was tempted to stay in bed a little longer, but decided not to risk angering his partner. He was very glad he'd gotten to keep his enchanted bed from the Just Before Dawn, it was easily the most comfortable thing he'd ever slept on; the fact that the bed and sheets were self-cleaning was just a small bonus compared to the comfort. Taking care of a few morning rituals, he stumbled out into the ship's storage room and picked up a ration bar. Sitting down at the table he grabbed two clean glasses and filled them with conjured water. Yes, there was a faucet in the kitchen, but Stalgin and the other instructors on the Dawn had encouraged him to use magic to conjure whenever possible, to make it a habit. As he crunched on the bland but inoffensive bar, Sethria joined him with a bar of her own, obviously just barely awake. She must have sensed his question because she answered before he could speak. "I'd kill for some Caf, but I don't want to waste the credits to buy some yet. I don't like mornings."

Harry replied after chewing and swallowing. "If you buy seeds from the plant it's made from I can probably grow it. One of my tea plants might help you wake up, but they aren't ready to harvest yet. If you like it, I can make cuttings and grow more."

For the first time, Harry saw a relieved expression on his partner's face. "I appreciate it. For now though I can do without."

Neither minded the silence that came as they finished eating. Harry left when he finished a little faster than his red-skinned companion and returned with his empty ruck-sack, into which he threw two ration bars for each of them and a pair of sturdy cups he would be filling with water as needed. Harry adjusted his new vambrace and enchanted leather boots. He was glad both were enchanted to keep his skin cool, otherwise he figured he'd be yearning for sandals given the quickly rising temperature outside. He was wearing a pair of cargo shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, both white; as he'd been falling asleep the previous night he'd taken a closer look at the weather projections. As far as was likely to travel for the next year the world was desert; dry, scorching, searing, and really rather hot were the best descriptive words. Water and plant life would change that eventually, but that would be some time coming.

Together, they walked up the stairs to the entrance they'd used yesterday on the Dawn. There was another entrance at the other end of the ship, but it was a bit of a walk from their bedrooms and the dining hall. It took a moment to figure out which breathing mask was which, but once they did Harry tapped his with his wand and changed its color from white to a light brown. As they donned the masks which comfortably covered their mouth and nose while leaving their eyes and ears exposed, Sal spoke up. "These are standard masks for magicals commonly used when an atmosphere is not breathable, but isn't toxic. In this case the outside atmosphere is slightly thin and completely dry in addition to not containing enough oxygen. The masks work by absorbing magic from you to transmute an ideal gas mixture. They will be required until this world gains more water, higher atmospheric pressure, and sufficient plant life to process carbon dioxide."

Now ready to leave Harry placed his wand into his vambrace and watched Sethria place her Living Wood sword on her back with something like a common sticking charm. Her focus had continued to change and now boasted a light gray grip and royal amethyst 'blade,' with streaks of darker purple flowing from the crystal embedded in the base of the blade. As far as magical foci went, Harry thought Sethria's was very cool. Now ready, Sethria opened the door and the two walked out into the morning sun.

Harry's first impression was that the air was utterly devoid of moisture, but then he walked out into the sunlight. He had been extremely curious about what living under a sun that had been ignited by and infused with Life-Fire would be like ever since he'd watched seven magicals conjure hydrogen and forge it into a star. Standing in the unfiltered sunlight really was an entirely different effect compared to watching from the Dawn, though some of that was probably from the Solar Attunement ritual. Harry felt energized, powerful, and like he was ready for a fight. He glanced at Sethria before grabbing control of himself. He was glad his burns had finished healing overnight and yesterday's ritual was active now. He could feel the sun's energy flowing into him, strengthening him. With a smirk, he dashed over to the Victory's edge and cast the largest water-summoning spell he could over the side; it turned out to be the largest he'd ever done. Sethria caught his attention however and he watched as she simply leapt off the side. Harry cast a feather-fall spell he'd learned on the Dawn and joined her, though he took a lot longer to land.

Touching down, he realized that the stone he was standing on was jagged in places from when the Dawn had fused it into one piece for stability. Well, I'll just need to be careful not to fall down until we have the chance to smooth it down a bit. Looking closer at where the Victory rested, he realized that the ship's hull had literally been sunken into molten stone which then cooled to hold the ship in place. What on Earth is this ship made out of? Wood wouldn't have survived being dipped into molten stone. Taking a few steps, Harry felt something was off. He jumped a few times, reaching farther than he normally could have on Earth. What… oh, we only have eighty percent of Earth's gravity right now. Our section on the Dawn was mimicking Earth's gravity and atmosphere.

Looking around, Harry began to follow Sethria who had started walking. As he moved, he took the time to glance around the oval-shaped valley where the Victory rested almost as far from the entrance as possible. It was about a mile across at its widest, and only a third that where the Victory rested near a foothill. The walls sloped upwards steeply enough that he really didn't want to try climbing them. There was nothing but bare stone as far as the eye could see. Following behind Sethria they moved towards the end of the valley and Harry found himself curious how fast water would evaporate. So he began conjuring cold water with his wand pointed off to the right. Looking back, Sethria smirked and unleashed a torrent of lightning with her left hand, aiming far enough away that it wasn't a danger to them. Her efforts weren't really accomplishing much other than releasing magic into the environment; like Harry's conjured water, it would take a very long time to saturate a dry world. Harry hadn't realized how hot it was, more proof that his ritual had worked, but he was dismayed at how between the heat and lack of moisture in the air the conjured water evaporated within moments of being created as it spread out along the brown sun-baked stone.

Before his time on the Dawn, the two-mile hike to the mouth of the valley would have exhausted Harry, but he wasn't afraid of exercise any longer. Between his efforts to get into shape and the Solar Attunement ritual he found he didn't mind the heat, and the rough terrain where it was difficult to keep his footing didn't stop him. Still, both he and Sethria had taken to pausing every twenty minutes to drink down some water. It was awkward, slipping the masks up just enough to chug the water but thankfully the air wasn't toxic. Neither of them would get enough oxygen by breathing the planet's air, but a lungful wasn't enough to harm either of them. Both carried the sturdy cups Harry had taken from the galley, and whenever needed he would rinse out the dust and fill them with cool, pure water. The heat was not the problem for either of them, Solar Attunement left Harry feeling completely comfortable and the world Sethria's species came from was nearly as hot as this one. It was the fact that there was no atmospheric moisture and their skin was constantly losing their body's water that drove their thirst.

As they reached the space where the valley met the surrounding plain of fractured stone, they paused for a moment to take in the scenery and gulp down more water. Harry was thoughtful as he looked at the hills to either side of the valley. The mouth of the valley was only about a quarter of a mile wide, which gave him an idea. Harry spoke up. "We might be able to build a dam and flood the valley. I'm not strong enough to keep it full right now, but I will be eventually."

Sethria turned to him, wiping dust off her face. "How long will that be?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't really know. I don't have any particular talent for water magic, but a ritual or bonding to a magical creature could give me a boost. Sal, if you're listening, would we earn credits for building a lake with fish if we built a dam here? When the water levels rise the fish would just swim out and populate the new ocean."

It only took a moment before the artificial voice responded, the sound being projected from the implants both colonists had attached to their left ears. "Yes, however credit value would vary wildly depending on animal populations, size of the ecosystem, and biological diversity. Based on the size of the valley, and assuming you manage to create a simple and stable ecosystem, the base value would be roughly 40,000 credits. You would receive more credits for a more diverse ecosystem or any magical species that thrived within."

Sethria spoke up. "Do you have any advice on pulling that off Sal? We don't exactly have a supply of Ferrocrete lying around."

Sal responded, accessing their implants to open projections of the credit market to pages showing five digital books: 'Basics of Architecture' -35 Credits, 'Basic Magical Construction' -55 Credits, 'Introduction to Alchemy' -100 Credits, 'Intermediate Industrial Alchemy' -175 Credits, and 'A Colonist's Guide to Managing Aquatic Ecosystems' -25 Credits. "The last book is widely regarded as the foremost guide for establishing an aquatic ecosystem, and includes many useful resources."

Harry began reading the descriptions of the books, but Sethria got his attention and gestured to the wide plain of broken rocks and dust past their valley. "We'll worry about that later, for now let's earn what we can. There's a lot we'll need to buy."

Nodding in understanding, Harry spent his time conjuring water that immediately either seeped into cracks in the rocks or evaporated. Harry applied himself to pouring his emotion and intent into the spell. This was one of the ways he'd been taught to make a spell stronger, but it wasn't easy balancing the emotion and intent with the normal flow of magic even with a simple spell. It took him a great many tries, but slowly he got better at it. While he was glad to be producing even more frigid water than before, (conjuring cold water was slightly more efficient than warm) the scale of their task seemed daunting and impossible. He glanced over to where Sethria had wandered to, apparently having found a vein of iron in one of the exposed boulders and was alternating which hand she used to throw lightning at the scorched stone, and sighed before redoubling his efforts. Sethria wasn't accomplishing all that much, just releasing magic into their new world, but her work ethic inspired him to work harder.

Sethria continued to not say very much as they ate lunch, but seemed grateful for the transfigured umbrella Harry had created; even for a desert species like hers it was getting to be hot out as the sun hit its zenith. (Harry managed to get through lunch with only one coughing fit caused by the dry air. Sethria apparently could suppress her body's response if she wanted to.) "This is going to be an enormous task, Harry. Turning this," She waved a hand around the barren landscape. "into a water-world will take years, or decades, or the rest of our lives. We're both going to work hard and make more progress each day, understand? I refuse to be shown up by those two on the other side of the planet!"

Harry smiled and nodded his head. "Madral's my friend, but that's no reason to let him beat us. Sal is keeping a counter on our contributions to terraforming. Madral has got me beat for now, but Fleur isn't very good at conjuring water. She's not as strong as he is either. Then again, we'll all get stronger over time."

"Grimwark, my instructor on the Dawn, told me that Madral is roughly my equal right now, but he doesn't have as much potential for growth as you or I do. If we work hard and keep training nothing is beyond our reach, you saw the team forge a star, right?"

Harry nodded. That had been a humbling sight, seeing the team conjure the material and then build a star and solar system. Sethria continued. "Even that kind of power isn't beyond us. Work hard and we'll get stronger every day! Now let's get going!"

When he'd first learned the basic Water-Conjuring Charm, Harry was able to produce about the same volume of water as an indoor faucet with good pressure. Five months into his stay on the Dawn, he'd upgraded that to a particularly strong garden hose. Thanks to the Solar Attunement ritual Harry was now approaching the volume of water a fire hose could put out. More and more water poured from the tip of his wand, rushing down the slope and disappearing into the broken rocks when the water rushed past the edge of the area the Dawn had fused together for them.

Breaks came and went until the sun was heading towards the horizon, and the two began the hike back. Both were exhausted, caked in dry sweat and dust that had covered them when a wind kicked up and both settlers had been pelted before Harry managed to transfigure a shelter. The sudden sandstorm hadn't lasted long, but the small pebbles thrown around had been painful. And they still had nearly two miles to hike uphill to get home. It was pitch black when they finally did reach the Victory, the only light coming from a ball of light Harry had conjured; it was unnerving looking into the sky without seeing the stars or moon. Sethria, her natural abilities letting her read his emotions easily, spoke up. "The other stars are there, but they're so new the light hasn't reached us yet, I don't know how long that will take. I'm sure we'll get a moon at some point too, it makes sense to have tides on an ocean world."

(Both avoided saying, or even thinking, about the fact that when Andromeda had been destroyed even the existing light from its own stars and the neighboring galaxies had been consumed.)

When they finally reached the Victory, Harry fumbled his first attempt to climb the ladder set into the hull. Taking pity on him, since despite all her training she was nearly as tired, Sethria simply picked Harry up bridal style and briefly used magic to enhance her physical abilities, leaping up and landing on the deck. Given that she'd expended too much energy that day, to her surprise she failed to land gracefully and fell onto the deck in a tangle of limbs with her fellow settler. After untangling themselves, they both made their way inside and had a ration bar and water for dinner. Sal found himself amused when both of them fell asleep in the spa-style baths that graced the Victory's two master bathrooms. Deciding they'd had a long day, 'he' (given he existed as data, traditional gender pronouns weren't accurate, but Sal preferred to use the masculine ones) simply drained the water and warmed the bathrooms. While not the best place to sleep, they would be comfortable enough until morning.

The next morning, both settlers woke when the sun invaded their windows. Not long after, they stumbled out of their rooms and headed to the galley. Taking a few moments to look through the huge freeze Harry smiled when he found one of the favorite breakfasts he'd been introduced to on the Dawn. He wasn't exactly sure of the name (he'd heard it called three different ones) or where it came from but the dish was small spiced sausages dipped in batter and baked, served with a slightly sweet sauce and a large serving of alien fruit that paired excellently with the meal. Sethria wasn't far behind him, and she picked out a full English Breakfast platter out of curiosity, drawn by the meat it contained. Thankfully there were a pair of 'microwaves' built into the wall, so neither of them had to wait on the other. Only a few moments later the two were sitting down at the table and breaking their fast together. Out of habit, Harry saved the single seed he found in his fruit; after it dried he would try planting it.

As they ate in silence, still a bit groggy (apparently sleeping in a bath, comfortable seats or not wasn't the secret to getting a restful night's sleep) Harry opened his interface and checked yesterday's credit total. Sixty-seven isn't bad, it's more than I've ever gotten in a day except with the betting on the matches a few days ago. I bet I can hit eighty today if I work hard enough. Flipping through the credit market, Harry opened some of his saved pages. A familiar would be nice, as would another ritual, but I'm not sure what my first purchase should be. I'm at least a month or two away from a purchase that big, both cost thousands of credits. Harry directed his attention to Sethria and closed his interface when she made that sound in her throat she'd been using to get his attention. When she saw she had his attention, Sethria spoke.

"I meant to say this last night, but we were exhausted. We both earn credits for our own work, but twenty percent of what we earn goes into an account that I have control over. I've decided that the group fund will be used to buy things that either help both of us or our efforts in general, but at my discretion we can both borrow from the group fund. Those books Sal mentioned earlier will be purchased by the group fund, things like a 'familiar' or rituals will be purchased by us individually. Once we have a lake, buying plants and animals to stock it with will be bought with the group fund. Understand? I'm not sure about the transit fees for additional settlers yet." When Harry nodded she continued. "The first purchase we need is transportation. You can conjure water anywhere, but I get far less credits for my lightning unless I'm at one of the 'Spike' installations. Sal said it would be a few day's travel to the nearest one on foot but the rocks they built the planet out of aren't stable yet, so it isn't safe to walk."

Harry considered what she'd said. "That makes sense. I can loan you some credits from my personal account too. I don't suppose you can use teleportation magic?"

Sethria shook her head. "No, not really. Thanks to my ancestry I'm pretty limited in what kinds of magic I can use. There is one technique I might be able to use, but it's far too advanced for me, it'll be years at least before I'm capable of it. Maybe by then there will be enough magic on this world to make it possible."

"Don't try it before you're ready, screwing up any teleportation spell is absurdly dangerous."

"I'm sure we saw the same safety videos, you don't need to tell me that." Both colonists had seen recordings of various transportation spells going wrong, something many humans would find similar to what they themselves had been shown while learning to drive. Although, 'Dangers of Magical Travel' showed people who had turned themselves inside out or who had fused themselves into objects instead of the messy results of car accidents.

A synthetic voice spoke up. "Use of magical teleportation will not be safe until you and other settlers have shed enough magic to saturate the environment. It will take several years, at least, for that to happen."

Morning stretched out and both settlers browsed their interfaces, relaxing a little after the long day yesterday, looking through the possibilities for traveling quickly around this planet. That reminded Harry, and he read the response from Fleur and Madral to his message the day before about a name for their planet. So far none of them had any really good ideas. Harry replied with a short message and the suggested names 'Safe Harbor,' 'Sealandia,' and 'Isle.' After that, Harry joined Sethria in searching for affordable transportation. Thanks to the advanced search function, it wasn't long before both he and Sethria had found a few possibilities. Harry went first: "This is a kit to build a flying disc that can carry both of us and should work in a low-magic environment as long as one of us is touching it. It costs 3,700 credits, which is the lowest I've seen."

With a flick of his hand, Harry sent the page describing his find to Sethria's interface where it opened a new window. Reading the page quickly, Sethria spoke up. "Sal? I don't think I can manage the enchanting work for this so the control matrix won't respond to me, can you confirm that based on my file?"

There was a brief pause, which made Harry think Sal had transferred himself to either Madral and Fleur's ship or one of the satellites in orbit. He did respond after a moment, though. "One moment please. I believe you are correct, your magic would not mesh well with this kit; it is well within Harry's abilities however. For your own use, I suggest the magical speeder bike in your fourth tab, not only would it fit you well, but it would easily function in the current environment."

Sethria held back a groan at the bike's price, 5,475 credits; still, she had not forgotten the warning about being polite to the AI managing their planet. "Thank you Sal. Harry, between us we're only about 1,300 credits short for the disc kit. We might buy that first, or save up for the speeder kit, I'm not sure. For today, I want you to work closer to the ship while I explore around a bit more. I have enough precognitive ability to stay safe if a rock shifts, but I might not be able to keep us both safe."

"Okay. Be sure to bring enough water, I think we have a pair of enchanted canteens around here somewhere, but they might take a while to fill."

Harry ended up filling Sethria's canteen with his Water-Conjuring spell since the tap in the galley was far too slow for her. A few moments later they were both on the deck and left in it in the same manner as the previous day. Remembering how great the sunlight had felt on his skin yesterday, Harry removed his shirt and left it tied on the lowest rung of the ladder on the Victory's hull, wearing only shorts, his vambrace, and enchanted boots. He walked for a few moments down the valley before beginning his task while watching Sethria vault up the valley's steep walls, using jumps and acrobatics he knew for certain he couldn't manage himself. Another slow, boring day shaped up where he poured water down the valley, watching it evaporate far before reaching the line where stone hadn't been fused together. Feeling bored, Harry decided to try something he hadn't been able to accomplish on the Dawn. The River Summoning spell was a more complex, more demanding spell than he was used to, but it had been the spell Madral had ended the splash-war in the classroom with. It took a few attempts where his efforts to correctly weave the magic failed, sometimes resulting in a small explosion of freezing mist, but eventually Harry managed the spell. While the stream of conjured water flowing downhill still wasn't reaching the end of the valley, it was getting closer with the easily doubled volume of water.

After using the new spell for nearly an hour, Harry had a good enough grasp on the mechanics that he could let his mind wander again. Other than the lack of moisture in the air, the weather felt great thanks to Solar Attunement and he was recovering almost as much magic as he was expending. Harry's mind drifted back to Stalgin instructing his class on the Dawn.

"A spell isn't mastered until it's effortless and can be cast without a focus. A focus, whether that be a wand, staff, or magical gem, is a tool, and only a tool. They are useful, and make spellcasting easier, but also limit how powerful a spell can become; worse, they allow magicals to be lazy, to cast magic without really understanding what they are doing. To master a spell without a focus, the easiest way is to cast it with your focus until the spell becomes effortless, then focus on how your magic flows and shapes, learn its every movement and change. Then you begin your attempts to cast it without a focus. The first spells you learn will be the most difficult, but the more you learn the easier it will get."

Harry smiled and after a break to drink some water, rose from the transfigured chair (something he clearly needed more practice with, it was not comfortable) and sheathed his wand. Taking a deep breath Harry raised his right hand and focused on the weave of the simple Water-Conjuring spell, something he'd used often on the Dawn. The River-Conjuring spell was too new to use, but he knew the simpler charm like the back of his hand by now. Unsurprisingly, Harry's first attempt at wandless magic failed, as did his fifth and tenth and twentieth. It was easy to get frustrated, but Harry kept at it instead. On his twenty-fifth attempt, he conjured a small spurt of water wandlessly. On his thirty-fourth attempt, he managed it again and achieved a steady stream for a moment before the spell fell apart. Sagging, Harry went back to his uncomfortable chair and sat down for another break.

While he recovered, he found himself browsing some of his saved pages in the Credit Market. Buying another ritual was tempting, especially one like Aquatic Adaptation, which would give him the ability to breathe water (not exactly useful yet) and make his water-based spells easier and more powerful. Instead Harry moved on to the Familiar shop. There were a lot of options, and millions (probably billions) more that were being filtered based on the Empire's plans for this world. Magic wasn't a singular force, there were variations and 'flavors;' energies that were similar and could mix together. The available familiars all came from four particular worlds, two of them were his Earth and Madral's Azeroth. He didn't know much about the other two, but from one in particular (Irritatingly also called 'Earth' in the native's language; apparently many species never bothered to give their planet a real name until they achieved space flight) there were over a thousand options available, and an earlier look had suggested that quite a few would be useful on this world, especially combined with the Familiar Bonding ritual.

As interesting as some of the options were, even compared to some from the world of his birth like the Horned Serpent or Wampus cat, he simply didn't have the credits to purchase one yet. He'd always wanted a pet, not that he would have dared to bring one home to the Dursleys. I'm so glad I never have to see any of them again. Rising again, he switched back to River-Conjuring spell with his wand, determined to earn more credits than yesterday.

After eating a ration bar for lunch, Harry got back to using the River-Summoning charm, but decided to mix in some of the focus exercises he'd been taught. For spells, the amount of precision you put into them was nearly as important as the amount of power, so Harry was determined to improve in both. When conjuring objects, the more precise you were the more material you could conjure for the same amount of magical energy. With the charm he was using, that meant that if he only wanted water, he should try to make it as cold as possible to avoid wasting magical power either heating the water or summoning heat along with the water. By the time the sun was sinking into the horizon he hadn't managed to conjure freezing water yet, but he did get water that was far too cold to go swimming in; the mist blowing back at him was almost enough to convince him to go back for his shirt.

He didn't realize that Sethria had been standing behind him for a while, watching him focus on his spell. After tapping him on the shoulder and making him jump, the red-skinned teen snorted. "Come on, let's head in for the night."

Harry followed without complaint. He felt like he had put in a good day's effort if nothing else, and was ready for a bath. Turning to look at Sethria, he saw the teen had worn similar clothing to him, a pair of shorts, a comfortable loose shirt and the same type of enchanted boots he was using. She was covered in dust and it looked like she had tiny pebbles in her hair. "Did some rocks shift under you?"

With a chuckle, Sethria shook her head. "No, after I finished exploring the area I went to the edge of the melted area and spent some time training my telekinesis. It isn't something I'm weak in, but it might be useful when we build the dam. I can lift a stone four or five times my own weight, but that isn't as much as I'd like."

"Doesn't hurt that the system gives us credits for releasing magic into the environment." Harry idly noted how sweaty he was before he continued. "Want to get cleaned up before we eat?"

Sethria chuckled and shook her head harder this time, chips and shards of stone falling out of her hair and making small noises as they hit the solid rock the two were walking on. "Not a bad idea; we don't have any servants to clean the ship so we might as well try to keep it clean. There's a refresher next to the door we've been using, I think it's a sonic or water shower."

Harry shivered. While 'sonic showers' were good at getting grime and dirt off, he didn't like them because of the strange physical sensation. His room at the medical complex he'd recovered at after the Dursleys had been arrested had a sonic shower and he'd been thankful his room on the Dawn had a tub. Sethria quirked an eyebrow at seeing his shirt tied to the bottom rung of the ladder on the Victory's side. Harry shrugged. "Thanks to that Solar Attunement ritual I can't get sunburn and the more sunlight that hits my skin the more I absorb. With the enchantment on the sun, it just feels good on my skin."

Sethria nodded in understanding, and then she decided to show off by jumping vertically with her back facing the Victory, doing a backflip, and landing on the deck. Chuckling at her need to show off, Harry gathered his shirt and climbed upwards as quickly as he could. Sethria was waiting for him near the ladder, watching the sun sink lower. As Harry climbed onto the deck, Sethria turned towards the western horizon. "It's a shame the sunsets don't look like much. I was born on a jungle world, I miss the sight of the sun setting the clouds on fire."

Harry replied as they watched the sun sink lower. "We'll get enough moisture for clouds sooner or later and once the ocean's ready I bet we'll have awesome sunsets every night."

As the twilight began to fade, both of them entered the Victory and headed to the shower room Sethria had mentioned. Paying more attention than he had the previous day, Harry realized it was a shower large enough to fit eight people comfortably. Harry looked around appreciatively. "Everything on the ship looks like so much more space than we need, but once we have more people it'll be nice. I'll let you shower first."

Sethria chuckled. "Guess again. I read the overview on your world's culture and I don't really like most of it. The whole 'nudity taboo' thing seems stupid so we're going to get you over it. Besides, I want you to wash my hair. I'll do yours after."

After thinking about it for a moment, Harry found he didn't really care about the culture of his birth. The Dursleys had fixated on being 'normal' but had certainly been awful people; he didn't really know the magical culture at all, but given how it had treated his godfather and himself, it could go to hell. It wasn't like the aliens he interacted with on the Dawn had the same opinion of nudity as England did; Madral had admitted that his people usually only wore the minimum that was practical in public and often far less in private. Dahlia's refusal to bathe with him hadn't been about nudity, she simply refused to let anyone see the slowly fading scars her mother had given her. With a shrug, Harry joined his partner in the shower as they worked out a comfortable temperature for the water. A few moments later Harry found himself lathering Sethria's hair as she sat under one of the shower heads, relaxing under the hot water with her head tilted out of the spray. As he worked some of the biodegradable shampoo into her shoulder-length hair, he spoke up. "I thought your hair was just white, but up close it's more silver."

Sethria chuckled as Harry ran his fingers along her scalp. "Before the Empire found my home galaxy, I used a chemical to dull my hair and kept doing it on the Dawn for a while out of habit. That made it easier to sneak around, and it also kept slavers from targeting me as much. Not that most of them could have done anything but die if they went after me, but the Outer Rim was crawling with them and it was safer to avoid notice." Sensing Harry's disgust, she went on. "My galaxy sucked before the Empire took possession. The Outer Rim was poor and lawless, and the Core was wealthy and corrupt. The way the wealthy Core worlds were exploiting the Rim, using wealth and their political power to bully those without, anyone with a brain knew a war was coming eventually. But the colony my mother built is doing great now, and my family is getting bigger all the time."

Harry was quiet as he worked, he wasn't great at reading his partner yet, but she seemed to be enjoying the physical contact. "My world wasn't great either. The people who could use magic had a hidden society, but it was rotten and corrupt. My godfather, the man who my parents trusted to take care of me if they died, got thrown in prison without a trial or even a real investigation. But on the plus side, all of the people who did that to him are rotting in prison thanks to the Empire." Finished, he stepped back. "Go ahead and rinse."

Harry couldn't say he minded showering with Sethria even though it was embarrassing. It became even more so when she insisted on returning the favor and washing his hair, but after he got used to her fingers moving across his scalp he found it relaxing. The rest of their shower went quickly, and both of them picked out a frozen meal to enjoy after they'd dried off. As the two ate, they talked. "Once we build the dam, it won't be too long until we can get food from it. Mostly fish, but some aquatic plants have lots of nutrition too. If nothing else we can harvest fish and seaweed to make more ration bars."

Sethria replied after swallowing. "Until we get transportation, I'll be spending my time moving rocks to the valley's gap. You'll need to buy that disc kit, I can't really contribute many credits without going to a Spike. After the disc kit I'll use the group account to buy the cheaper books Sal recommended as we need them. After the disc, what are you planning to purchase?"

Harry paused for a moment, thinking. "Probably a familiar. The right one can help me conjure more water, plus I've always wanted a pet. I'm not sure which species yet, probably something that can live on land and water."

Sethria was thoughtful for a moment. "Not a bad idea. Since you're getting the disc kit first instead of what you want, I'll loan you some credits for the familiar so long as you don't slack off."

Harry smiled. "Thanks. What do you plan to buy after we both get something to ride?"

Sethria leaned back in her chair, looking relaxed. "One of the empowering rituals, the Familiar-bonding ritual isn't something I can use. That Solar Attunement ritual seems to be working well for you, but I might choose a different one. Another thing to consider is expanding our group. It'll be a while before we can afford to pay the transit fee for anyone, though. And we will need to recruit people too."

"One of the AI's on the Dawn recommended I start corresponding with some of the girls I would have gone to magical school with if the Empire hadn't shown up. By the time we're ready to pay the fee I think the one that seems to be a good fit will be willing to join us."

"Is she strong?"

Harry paused for a moment. "Top of her class, and top two for magical power so far from what she's told me. She isn't weak but a ritual or familiar will make her even stronger."

"Good. We can't afford dead weight until we have a stable food supply." Sethria paused for a moment before continuing. "Harry, I'm placing you in charge of convincing others to join us here, and I'll give you a small credit reward for those you convince to join us. I'm... not very good at dealing with people."

Harry gave his partner a smile. "I'm not either, don't feel bad about it. I only had two close friends on the Dawn. Do you have any ideas for what species we should recruit first?"

"Not yet. We need to look for species that can help us right away while still being a good fit for an ocean planet when it's finished. I know you're required to have at least one human partner, so we might get your pen-pal first."

To the surprise of both colonists, Sal interrupted their conversation and spoke up. "Be aware that some species and individuals will sometimes receive a drastic discount in the transit fee if they would fit exceptionally well on this world. Would you both like to receive notifications should that happen?"

Harry replied quickly. "Yes Sal. Thank you for being so helpful!"

Sethria chuckled, Harry had certainly taken the advice to befriend their AI seriously. The two talked for a bit over their dinner before heading to bed early. Without curtains, both of them would rise with the dawn as it showed through their massive east-facing windows each morning. That night, as Harry typed a few letters out for Sirius and Hermione he checked his day's credit total and smiled. Switching to the River-Summoning charm and working on my focus a bit earned me an extra twenty credits today! Eighty-seven, getting closer to one hundred!

Sirius Black smiled as he read the latest letter from Harry. Pausing to look out the window he took in the view from his third-floor teacher's suite. While he wished the students he'd begin teaching tomorrow could attend class in the majestic Hogwarts castle, this new school forged of nearly-indestructible stone and gleaming crystal on the peak of Mars' Olympus Mons had a sense of grandeur and style all its own. The school had five buildings currently, two short ones that were the male and female student dorms, a circular cafeteria, a massive enclosed dome that contained both greenhouses and paddocks for magical creatures, and a massive circular tower with its exterior covered in multicolored crystals that housed classrooms on the lower floors and staff quarters above. All of this was contained inside a massive transparent dome that ensured they had a breathable atmosphere. Sirius chuckled to himself, bringing up some of the photos he'd taken of the school gleaming in the Martian dawn; he'd be sending them to Harry with his next letter.

If there's one thing the Golden Star Empire likes, it's efficiency. Earth's magical children, the ones that would have been second years and up at Hogwarts will be here during the week, learning, conjuring to build up the planet, and enriching Mars with their very presence. I never thought I'd be a teacher, but it's the best path I found to reunite with Harry. I was worried about this girl he's partnered with, but she doesn't seem so bad. From what Harry's said she probably hasn't had a lot of comforting physical contact or social exposure. I bet Harry's just what she needs to open up and relax more. Sirius relaxed even further into the plush couch he'd spent weeks transfiguring just right back in the apartment he'd had in London while he was being treated for his stay in Azkaban. I never expected to join a support group of alien soldiers who'd fought and killed Dementors and things like them, but it did help. I haven't had a nightmare of those monsters in a month now.

Sirius shifted again, enjoying the teacher's suite in the school's tower. When his companion stirred, Sirius paused to run a hand through her hair and over the furry ear that twitched as he soothed her. I guess I shouldn't have been so worried about Harry. I thought the first person that told me about the Empire's AI's matchmaking hobby was crazy, but they really do enjoy nudging people together. And they really know what they're doing too. Raene has been so wonderful…

Sirius' thoughts were interrupted when a message flickered into being in front of his eyes. It was something he'd been both looking forward to and dreading and he hadn't known how to tell his godson. Tapping a control on his interface and confirming his presence out loud, Sirius moved to stand while being careful not to dislodge his companion. She'd be woken soon, but he would give her a few more moments of sleep if he could. Moving into the small kitchen he started a pot of tea and began to pace anxiously by the door, soon joined by Raene. Before too long a chime sounded and Sirius hurriedly opened the door to his quarters. If the Unspeakables were the most secretive group in Magical Britain before the Empire, the Temporal Reclamation Command was easily the most secretive group in the Golden Star Empire. And for good reason. The TRC was responsible for reclaiming lost bloodlines or unusually powerful magicals wherever practical. Sirius remembered reading that they would be a much larger organization but they could only be deployed far away from the forces of Void and Entropy: Any attempt to influence a battle against the Empire's primary enemies became… messy in ways that would give H.P. Lovecraft nightmares.

As the (probable) man in gray armor that completely obscured his face and even his species walked into the room he made a slight motion with his hand and an object Sirius recognized from his recent training appeared in the middle of the room. An Imperial stasis pod, usually used for medical emergencies that couldn't be treated immediately or other situations where more time was needed. Without even a twitch from the visitor, the transparent lid slid away and the pod hummed as it glowed with a soft green light. Sirius spoke aloud at seeing the familiar face framed by red hair. "Lily..."

Newsreel: Classy

"Welcome back viewers, this is Shia Runsocris and my co-host Kodiak Antonov. For tonight's special feature, we'll be discussing the method the Empire uses to rank magical power. I'm sure you've all heard the different classes of magicals mentioned, so let's jump right in. First, we have Class One, the Novice Class. Nearly all species capable of using magic begin at this level, and all it means is that an individual has the ability to use magic. Most magicals graduate from this class to the next during adolescence. Class Two, the Adept Class, is as much about proficiency in basic spellcasting as it is about magical power. For reference, most of Earth's adult magic users were middling to high Class Twos before the Empire began encouraging them to grow. Adepts are expected to contribute to the war effort by conjuring material for at least six hours a day, both to fuel the war machine that keeps us safe and to grow their own power."

Kodiak spoke up, the Russian taking over for his Caitian partner. "Class Three, the Mage Class, is the first class defined solely by magical power. Unlike Adepts, Mages are also expected to contribute energy in useful forms or directly transmute the material created by others into more useful forms. For reference, while the big names of recent magical history on Earth, Dumbledore, Grindlewald, and Voldemort, were all Class Three, they were near the upper end, almost but not quite breaking through to Class Four. Speaking of the Soldier Class, Class Four is named because this is the first class where male magicals deemed unlikely to advance further are sent to the front lines, where their conjuring keeps active fleets supplied and they directly aid ground forces, most often by erecting barriers or acting as artillery."

With a nod from Kodiak, Shia continued. "In addition to being, at minimum, ten times more powerful than a Soldier Class, every magical in Class Five, the Space Class, has mastered the ability to traverse space without technological assistance beyond navigation. Class Five magicals are most often assigned to construction projects, high-priority terraforming, and in-system organization. For example, sometime in the next two years a generational ship with many Space Class magicals will be arriving in Sol to begin moving most of Jupiter and Saturn's moons closer to the sun, where habitation domes will be constructed and magical colonists will begin building them up into Earth-like planets. This will require complicated teamwork from anywhere to fifty to one-hundred Spacers. Class Five magicals are only deployed in combat in extreme emergency; since most Spacers represent either above-average or peak magical strength for their species they, like all of the higher classes, are strongly encouraged to have large families with many children."

Shia paused and took a small sip of water. "Unlike Class Five, Class Six, the Picket Class, is deployed to the front lines. However, like Class Four, only male magicals are sent into combat. For those that are sent to the front lines, Picket Class magicals are deployed defensively in space, tasked with destroying small craft and incoming ordinance. While this is dangerous work, Pickets are provided with many power and reflex boosting rituals at no cost. Between their training to strike with absolute precision, using only as much magic in each attack as needed, their lightning-fast reflexes, and custom-designed interfaces that help them target, prioritize, and coordinate with fleet point-defense, Picket Class magicals prevent the loss of many ships and save lives wherever they are deployed. Needless to say, Pickets rarely pay for their own drinks during shore leave."

Kodiak spoke up, taking over for Shia once again. "Few magicals manage to reach Class Seven. Also known as the Star Class, this class was renamed and repurposed after the New Worlds program was proven effective. While many of them do see combat, the primary purpose of the class is now conjuring star systems to replace those claimed by Entropy and the Void. The Andromeda galaxy is currently being rebuilt one star at a time by an increasing number of Class Sevens. Eventually the Milky Way's missing stars will be restored as well, but due to the low number of magicals capable of reaching this level, the demand for their services far exceeds the supply. Thanks to the nature of the war to protect creation, the priority assignments for Class Seven magicals will always be ensuring realities do not collapse. As you may recall from previous segments, when the Golden Star Empire is unable to defeat our enemies, the forces of Void and Entropy consume everything in a universe. When the last star goes out and there is no surviving life, that universe collapses into nothing. Most Class Sevens are deployed to universes where little is left. As an example, in one of the most well-known Imperial victories, a universe, now renamed 'One Light in the Darkness,' was saved with only one star left burning. That victory was only possible due to the many brave Imperials who died and the intervention of a Combat Gate Class magical."

After a short pause, Kodiak continued. "Class Eight, the Hero Class, are sadly even more rare than Class Seven. Even the larger Imperial fleets are considered fortunate if they have more than one. The 'hero' in Hero Class comes from the way they are typically deployed in combat; where imperial soldiers are deployed to a planetary surface, Class Eight magicals are called in when our brave soldiers are unable to hold the line. The Empire trains and equips our soldiers to the highest standard, but unfortunately our enemy is endless and they are always outnumbered. Class Eights possess the magical power and skill to reduce everything above a world's mantle to molten slag. When they are too late to save a world's population, they often do just that, rending millions or billions of enemy constructs into their constituent atoms in less time than many of us can cook a simple meal."

With a smile from Kodiak, Shia continued the report. "Class Nine, the Champion Class, are, at minimum, one-hundred times more powerful than Class Eight. Sadly, not even one Class Eight in a thousand manages to reach Class Nine. When deployed to the front lines, Champions serve a purpose similar to the Picket Class, but take an offensive role. In a standard engagement, Champions are responsible for destroying enemy capital ships, that is large battleships and carriers. Enemy armor and shields are no match for their immense power and carefully practiced control. When on leave from active combat, they often lead teams of Star Class magicals in creating new stars and planets."

After a pause, Shia continued. "Class Ten, the Gate Class are the most coveted and fiercely protected of all magicals. In addition to their immense power, such that a single Class Ten magical can supply power and material for an entire shipyard megaplex, most Gate Class magicals have the capability to open gates capable of transporting entire fleets not only anywhere in a given universe, but even between universes. Class Ten is also the only class to have official subclasses, those being the Standard, Exceptional, Peerless, and Combat Gate Classes. While the first three are simply measures of power, the Combat Gate Class is special. As our viewers know, there is an endless variety of inherent magical ability and talents. While most magical species are capable of conjuration, some simply are not. The Combat Gate Class is made up of individuals who possess the needed power, but lack the ability to create gates or otherwise aid the war effort. While every magical that reaches Class Ten can change the course of any battle, none do so as spectacularly as the Combat Gates. Unfortunately even with the Empire's best efforts, Gate Class magicals are incredibly rare. So rare that any galaxy or species that produces even one Class Ten magical is deemed an essential resource and defended fiercely."

Shia paused for a moment to collect herself as she shifted gears. "The Empire's preferred strategy in regards to magicals is to keep them out of danger and encourage them to have large families while the matter and energy they create produces the fleets needed to defend us all. However, that strategy is simply untenable: Without the efforts of magicals in combat, the Empire has no hope of protecting itself; the presence of magicals in battle, especially the higher classes, simply makes that much of difference. So the Empire is forced to take a balanced approach, doing everything they can to grow the numbers and power of those who can use magic while ensuring our defenses hold. Kodiak, would you tie the segment off?"

With a nod to his co-host, Kodiak began speaking. "Of course Shia. As with many of our segments, let's end tonight with what you can do to help the Empire keep us all safe. The most obvious answer is to have a large family, but there is much more you can do. The never ending war leaves many homeless and orphans in its wake, which means adopting an orphan or opening your home to a refugee can make the difference in their lives. While the Imperial policies are driven by practicality, love is an essential ingredient in a happy, stable life. If you can, please consider making a difference in a life less fortunate than your own.

"As for growing the magical population, the ability to use magic is very important but sadly artificial insemination has proven useless in creating magical children; that is why the Empire encourages healthy women to seek out male magicals. Married or single, any woman of child-bearing age is asked to join the surrogacy program or commit to a permanent relationship. Despite the way most cultures on Earth have embraced the one-man one-woman relationship as normal, more complex relationships can also be fulfilling.

"In any case, remember that our species and world are now part of the Golden Star Empire. For good or ill our survival depends on our ability to work together. And we will work together, everyone pitching in and doing their part. Remember, no matter what your opinion on the Empire is, no matter how raw the wounds of our recent annexation, if not for the Empire's fleets throwing themselves into a meat grinder our world and people would no longer exist." Kodiak paused, the strong Russian man pausing for a moment as he struggled with his emotions. "For a future segment, Shia and I visited some of the missing stars in our galaxy and the gaping void where Andromeda once stood. That could have been us, it would have been us, if not for a fleet with technology beyond our world's wildest dreams that, even so, lost more soldiers than all the humans that have ever lived on our world. So remember my friends, remember that we are not alone, remember that together we stand as One Empire United!"

Kodiak's voice had risen as he spoke, and by the end his passion and honest belief was obvious. As the recording indicator winked out, Kodiak leaned back in his chair, a little embarrassed. Shia stood up and squeezed his shoulder as their producer gave them a thumbs up and walked out of the room to examine the recording. With feline grace, Shia sat down on the desk nearby and curled her tail around her waist. "No need to be embarrassed, that kind of passion is what we need. I know I've said it before, but you're doing great."

Kodiak smiled at his co-host and the tension in his posture bled away. "Thank you Shia."

For a while, the two of them just enjoyed the quiet companionship and let the day's worries fade away. The two had already spoken more than once about the stress of being part of the Empire's face in Sol. While their newscasts weren't the only interaction people had with the Empire, the two of them were seen often by Sol's new Imperial citizens. There was a constant worry, for both of them, that they would say something wrong and undo the steady progress of the imperial integration or even incite violence. After a while, Kodiak spoke up, his face lighting up. "You know, we have a day off tomorrow. Would you join me for dinner and a movie?"

Shia smiled, her tail twitching giving away her excitement. "I'd love to Kodiak. There's a few imported classics playing at the megaplex this weekend. But… are you sure you want to date a non-human?"

The Russian smiled at his co-host. "Shia, you're intelligent, driven, kind, and beautiful. Why would I care about your ears or tail? In fact, would you like to get lunch? We're free for at least an hour."

Getting a smile in response, he rose and offered her a hand, escorting her out of the studio. They would need to return later but he'd heard that there was a good place to eat with a great view of Earth on the edge of the habitation dome. The ever-growing Imperial settlement on Earth's moon was quickly becoming the administrative center not only for Sol, but the neighboring star systems as well. And unlike Earth and most of the nearby planets, Luna was not restricted to mostly Earth-origin species; with so many cultures meshing together there was always an interesting shop or restaurant to explore. Kodiak smiled to himself as he led Shia towards the restaurant he'd been searching for; even with so many options, finding one that served Caitian cuisine had been difficult.

A/N: As a note: The Temporal Reclamation Command's mission is to prevent the loss of species and blood gifts, like the Dumbledore Phoenix thing or the Naruto Universe's bloodline abilities. Lily was not specially chosen and she would have been ignored by the TRC if they had any priority targets at the same time. Essentially, the TRC saves their main targets first, then they save as many as possible, especially people like Lily Potter, who was an unusually clever and powerful witch.

Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this. I'm still writing and editing what I have, but I admit I've been doing a little more reading than I should. Anyway, please leave a review, I read and enjoy every one, even though I don't reply to the FanFiction ones as well as I should. (In my defense, the Ao3 system is much easier to use.)